Four Reasons Why a Person Who Professes Faith in Christ Might Refuse to be Baptized

There is a man in my church who refuses to be baptized by immersion because he insists that baptism in the NT refers to spirit baptism, not water baptism. When pressed with clear examples of water baptism, he demurs and says the NT is not entirely clear. Therefore, until he is completely convinced, he will not be baptized by immersion.

I've known a woman in my church for many years who has never been baptized. She has a long history of back surgeries, and her spine is held together with the proverbial "baling wire & duct tape." (Actually, she has numerous titanium pins & rods that hold it together.) Her fear is that the physical requirements of baptism (bending over backward sharply, being pulled/jerked up again out of the water) might result in physical injury/harm. I don't know what conversations she may have had with our pastors about this.

What are her acceptable options for total immersion in such a case (or are there any acceptable alternatives)?

There is a man in my church who refuses to be baptized by immersion because he insists that baptism in the NT refers to spirit baptism, not water baptism. When pressed with clear examples of water baptism, he demurs and says the NT is not entirely clear. Therefore, until he is completely convinced, he will not be baptized by immersion.

I have a friend (not from our church) who has this view as well. He is a true believer with fruit, but he has a different view on baptism. He is not quite as dogmatic about it now though as he was when we first met. I do not talk about it with him often, but when he brings it up, I answer his questions and gently share my position. Thus, he is more open to the idea than he used to be, but he is not there yet.

I've known a woman in my church for many years who has never been baptized. She has a long history of back surgeries, and her spine is held together with the proverbial "bailing wire & duct tape." (Actually, she has numerous titanium pins & rods that hold it together.) Her fear is that the physical requirements of baptism (bending over backward sharply, being pulled/jerked up again out of the water) might result in physical injury/harm.

I place this in the category of God's ideal vs God's grace. Immersion is his ideal, but I would allow an exception in this case and sprinkle or pour. I say this as a man who strongly believes that immersion is the Biblical form of baptism and is the right picture that God wants to show in baptism.

I view this similar to divorce. When asked about divorce in Matthew 19, Jesus quotes from Genesis chapter 1 and 2 and shows that from the beginning divorce should not have even been an option at all. He was however quoting from before the fall. He also shows that Moses "allowed" divorce because of the hardness of hearts. That hardness happened after the fall. Christians are clearly divided over whether divorce should be an option today, but Jesus makes it clear that before the fall it was not. Moses, however, taught that under the law of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, it was an option. Sure, there was debate about when it was allowed, but it was allowed. Still, it was not the ideal. Thus, we have precedent for something being allowed that did not measure up to God's original standard. I take that same principle to the person with extreme health issues and baptism. If you are really dogmatic about immersion, then give the option of baptism by shower where every inch of the body has had water running over it. Of course there may be situations where health would limit that as well. Then I would lean on grace again.

We need to remember that it's a step of obedience, not a sacrament. With JD, I think that the woman with extensive spine surgery (we've got a woman in my church whose titanium rods have broken and is sadly inoperable with current medical technology) gets a pass on this, or to be sprinkled or affused.

Another possibility is a rotating chair that would take the stress off the person's body. Little bit spendy, but I could see an association sharing one for the occasional times they have to baptize invalids and such.

And I concur with the author in the general categories otherwise, with fear of being in front of people as key. I'm guessing this was also big in ancient times where getting baptized could lead to a painful death from Romans.

Larry Nelson wrote: What are her acceptable options for total immersion in such a case (or are there any acceptable alternatives)?

I would suggest checking with local pools. We have a young man in our church who came to Christ this summer. He is a paraplegic, since age 11 (skiing accident). We've talked about baptism, but there is really no way he could ascend the stairs to our baptistery or descend the stairs in.

So... I asked him how it works for local pools, can handicapped people have access? It turns out they can, some have special lifts, others have a sloped entry with a "water chair" one could use.

Once in the water, you might need a team of two to assist, but the individual could be "ducked" gently rather than lean back. Would take some planning and also the pool would have to be willing to give access at a time that didn't interfere with their schedule.

I think it could be done, that's what we are planning for our young guy.

Immersion is his ideal, but I would allow an exception in this case and sprinkle or pour.

Then she would still be unbaptized. I don’t think it’s idealism vs something else. It’s either baptism or it isn’t.

If you do anything, take the intent as the act rather than mislead about what baptism is. But you could always be gentle. Baptism does not require a harsh backward bend or sudden jerking. She could go forward or straight down or sit in a chair and be gently tilted backyard. But I would say don’t do something other than baptism and call it baptism.

"Once in the water, you might need a team of two to assist, but the individual could be "ducked" gently rather than lean back."

I don't know Don, is that Baptism by immersion or Baptism by dunking? Lol.